Object Details
Description
Vase (maebyong) heavily potted with straight-sided neck, high bulging shoulder, tapering to medium narrow waist, beveled in at foot; foot rim edge rough and unglazed; fire-crack (shrinkage) runs around base, all the way through in one section and through the foot on one side. Shape is a litle irregular, the neck having slumped into the shoulder slightly on one side. On base a large patch of dull, rough, whitish ceramic material appears to be on top of the glaze, and some of the same material roughens the unglazed foot rim. This may result from contact with supporting material during firing.
Clay: medium coarse, opaquish, off-white porcelain. Resonant.
Glaze: transparent, feldspathic with green-blue tint especially apparent where it has collected thickly. In some spots (only in blue areas) where both paint and glaze have gone, possibly from broken blisters, the revealed biscuit has oxidized slightly to a deep buff. A stained crackle is on one side of neck.
Decoration: two vigorous four-clawed dragons amid clusters of conventionalized clouds. Double lines around base and lip. Painted in underglaze cobalt blue line and wash in strong lively style. The wash is placed well within the contour of the clouds, leaving a white border around each form. The blue varies from a smokey light shade to a dark almost blackish blue with much variation in concentration.
Provenance
To 1974
Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
From 1974
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1974
Notes:
[1] See Freer Gallery of Art Accession List, Collections Management Office. Also, original folder sheet note indicates name of source and location at date of acquisition (see Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record).
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Korean Art (June 4, 1982 to September 23, 1982)
Korean Art (July 15, 1981 to September 15, 1981)
A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)
Korean Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to October 13, 1978)
Korean Art (June 24, 1977 to April 8, 1978)
Previous custodian or owner
Benjamin J. Stein Oriental Art
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Date
19th century
Period
Joseon period
Accession Number
F1975.9
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under transparent, colorless glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 52 x 33.3 cm (20 1/2 x 13 1/8 in)
Style
Bunwon ware
Origin
Bunwon kilns, Gwangju city, Gyeonggi-do province, Korea
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
ceramic
dragon
Bunwon ware
Joseon period (1392 - 1910)
cobalt pigment
Korea
porcelain
clear glaze
Korean Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1975.9